strasbourgsomewhere to eat

The range of places to eat in Strasbourg (more than 150 of
them) is excellent, from Michelin-starred palaces of haute cuisine, to burger
bars, bistros, wine bars and international and regional restaurants.

There is a comprehensive list on the tourist office website, but here are a few that I've tried and found excellent, and value
for money.

Incidentally, I've yet to find anywhere in Strasbourg where the food was anything less than you'd want it to be. You can't go wrong.

The Crocodile today has one Michelin star. When I first
visited, it had just been down-graded from 3 stars to 2; the proprietor tried
to shrug it off as of no consequence (not that I believed him - his mouth said
one thing, but his face said another). Anyway, that's all in the past; there's
a new chef now, and he has earned one star, which is good enough for me.Expect impeccable service and cuisine, a truly fine dining
experience, but with prices to match....maybe this is the place for a special
occasion. But then, if I wake up and I'm still breathing, I think it's a
special occasion.

This has to be the most beautiful building in Strasbourg;
I've dined here a couple of times, once when I watched a young woman face up to
a mound of choucroute - she was still eating when I left; and again with my
wife, when we enjoyed the salon upstairs and a delightfully relaxing ambiance
to go with the excellent Alsacienne cuisine. I still have the 'ticket' from the
bottle of wine we had that evening – it was a 2003 Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau.Wise eaters make reservations, not least because
it is right in the centre of town. And if you want the restaurant to soak off
the label from a particularly good bottle of wine for your scrapbook, say
something along the lines 'S'il vous plait, puis-je garder le ticket'. If they
can, they will, but sometimes the label won't come off.

Brilliantly convenient; not far from the centre,
and open for more than 12 hours; roll up any time and enjoy Alsacienne cuisine
cooked to perfection in a splendidly decorated restaurant housed in a
16th-century building. Service is efficient and agreeable, typically hectic at
the height of the season. This is a great place to try those regional dishes
you keep meaning to, Baeckeoffe, for example, and wonderful hearty meat stew.

Possibly not the most welcoming or intimate of places, but for a quick no-nonsense lunch or early dinner it's ideal. This is nonetheless a popular brasserie with an Art Deco feel about it, so you might want to get there at the start of service if you don't make a reservation.

The cuisine is traditional Alsacienne and the customary run-of-the-mill dishes that all these places seem to provide these days, like moules frites. But it's very good value for money. The dish of the day can be as little as €8, plus drinks.

You won't be disappointed by dropping in at Le Jardin de l'Orangerie
for lunch. Not only is it set in a magnificent park in which the great white
storks of the region nest on chimney pots during the summer, but there is a fine lake outside,
and easy walks all around the park. The restaurant does excellent two-course
meals at lunchtime.

Whenever I'm in Strasbourg, I come out to the Orangerie at
least once, and more often if I can. It's just so nice to get away from the
bustle of the centre, and if you're a walker, then just follow the River Ill
for most of the way before cutting through streets to the entrance to the park.
At strolling pace, it should take about 30 minutes to get there, by which time
you're ready for lunch. Then walk it off going back, but first take a quick
visit to the little aviary, or, believe it or not, enjoy a game of ten-pin
bowling right next door.

At opposite ends of the spectrum, the park also offers
Michelin-starred dining at Buerehiesel (www.buerehiesel.com), or a quick
quiche and chips at a mobile food kiosk. You just can't go wrong here.